Chinese Giant Salamander
Andrias davidianus
- Critically endangered
- Card rarity: Legendary
- Amphibians
The Chinese giant salamander is the largest salamander and the largest amphibian in the world. It is fully aquatic, and is endemic to rocky mountain streams and lakes in the Yangtze river basin of central China. It has also been introduced to Kyoto Prefecture in Japan, and possibly to Taiwan. It is considered critically endangered in the wild due to habitat loss, pollution, and overcollection, as it is considered a delicacy and used in traditional Chinese medicine. On farms in central China, it is extensively farmed and sometimes bred, although many of the salamanders on the farms are caught in the wild. It has been listed as one of the top-10 "focal species" in 2008 by the Evolutionarily Distinct and Globally Endangered project.
Classification
- Class
- Amphibia
- Order
- Caudata
- Family
- Cryptobranchidae
- Genus
- Andrias